By Lindsey Jordan 
“We’ve detected both an X and a Y chromosome…which means…it’s a boy! Congratulations!”
“Oh,” I said. “Thank you.” I hung up the phone, walked to my husband’s home office, and slowly opened the door.
“It’s a boy,” I told him.
“Oh. I’m sorry, sweetie,” he replied, opening his arms for a hug. “I thought you weren’t expecting to find out for a few days.”
A tear rolled down my cheek as I told him how I’d lied about the date I was expecting the test results so that I could surprise him with the news that we were having a girl. I had been extremely nauseated throughout my pregnancy—a symptom I never experienced when I was pregnant with my son—so I was certain this time we were expecting a daughter. I knew I was getting the call that day, and I had already made dinner reservations at a restaurant called Juniper to tell him the news. “Juniper” was the girl name we had picked out.
Four years prior, when we found out our first child was a boy, I didn’t have the same disappointment. I had always pictured my life as a girl mom, but we knew we wanted two children, so the first time around, I was just thrilled to learn that my son was healthy. This time, though, I knew it was our last baby, and I wept with grief as I processed the news that I’d likely never get to play with dolls or play “house” with my daughter, that I’d never get to buy Easter dresses or giant bows, that I probably wouldn’t have someone with whom to share my love of crafting and baking, and that I’d never get to be part of getting my daughter ready for her senior prom or her wedding.
I always thought I was meant to be a girl mom, but boy, was I wrong.
My boys are 8 and 3 now, and I am living the best years of my life—my beautiful, exciting life as a boy mom.
My boys are high-energy, athletic, loud, outgoing, confident, persistent, and driven, just like me. We spend our weekends outside running, biking, playing sports, and getting sweaty and dirty—and as it turns out, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
My boys are obsessed with baseball—playing it, watching it, talking about it, learning about it. We spend five days a week at the baseball fields between practices, games, and batting lessons, and I have never in my life felt the joy I feel when my kid hits a homerun or makes a great play on defense. I am filled with pride when I see their practicing pay off in the form of improvement on the field that gets noticed by their coaches. Sitting in the stands, watching my boys play, and feeling the cool breeze as the sun sets halfway through a game, I think to myself, these are the days, and I just want time to stand still. And I laugh a little when I think about the younger version of me who didn’t know this joy, the version who thought she’d rather be at ballet practice instead.
My older son is a mama’s boy through and through. His love for and kindness toward me are next level. He’s not that little anymore, but he still wants to be with me all of the time and still needs my comfort when he’s sad or hurt. He tells me everything, including things he’s embarrassed about. And while I know gender doesn’t determine everything, it seems less common to hear about the same closeness in a relationship between girls and their moms at this age.
My boys’ relationship with each other is loving, playful, and easy. They wrestle, they annoy each other intentionally, and they make up immediately and move on. Feelings generally aren’t hurt, and grudges aren’t held. We live in a four-bedroom house, but our boys choose to share a room because they want to be together. Occasionally, we hear the nurturing whispers of my older son comforting his little brother when he’s scared.
My life as a mom looks different than what I thought it would look like. It’s louder, it’s messier, and it’s more chaotic, but it’s also more exciting, more fun, and more adventurous than I had pictured. And as it turns out, there is still plenty of baking and crafting to do—after all, someone has to make the treats and decorations for all these baseball team parties!
I thought I wanted girls, but these boys are my whole world, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
by Andrea Smolin 
by Heather Newmyer 
